Historical Background

The gene encoding for the first nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) protein was cloned more than 20 years ago and termed NFATp, as it was shown to be “preexistent” in the cytosol of resting T cells. In activated T cells, NFATp interacted with the transcription factors Fos and Jun in the nucleus to induce the expression of interleukin (IL-) 2 (Jain et al. 1993). Soon after, new members of the...